Current Faculty
UPCEA's Professional Development programs in online and professional continuing education are created and facilitated by leading experts with real-world experience in the field. The online courses in UPCEA's Learning Center cover a wide variety of topics and skillsets, and afford you the opportunity to network with your peers. Put our flexible curricula to work for you and your career goals. Meet our Founding Faculty.
Sean Armstrong
Dean, University College
Washington University in St. Louis
Sean Armstrong is Dean University College, Washington University in St. Louis. Under the direction of Dean Armstrong, the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) has been transforming WashU’s professional and continuing education division. Armstrong, who combines his varied personal educational experiences, completing a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in public personnel management, and a doctorate in higher education and policy studies, with his two decades of experience in the education sector, first as a public high school social studies teacher in Orlando, Florida, then in an academic advisory role at what is now called Lake-Sumter State College, and then at the University of Central Florida where he was an academic administrator, designing programs and supports for students pursuing continuing education, is embarking upon a multi-year strategic plan. He is placing greater focus on accessible pathways for economic mobility and career advancement for residents of the St. Louis region. He is operationalizing the delivery of degrees and certificates that lead to advanced skills in areas of data, health and management. His steadfast commitment to the region is aligned with area workforce needs while he balances support of St. Louisans who, historically, have been excluded from higher education.
Andy Atzert
Dean of College of Professional and Continuing Studies
Adelphi University
Andy Atzert is the Dean of Adelphi University’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies, located in Garden City, NY. Prior to joining Adelphi in July 2019, he held positions at Columbia University’s School of Professional studies, including Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs in charge of Finance, HR, IT & Analytics, and Senior Associate Dean of External Affairs. His career includes leadership positions at the Wharton School of Business, where he created executive education programs for Global 1000 companies; at the New School in New York, where he oversaw continuing education and online programs; and at Arizona State University, where he was the Executive Director of the Center for Executive and Professional Development at the W.P. Carey School of Business and the administrative director for the school’s online MBA programs and online certificates. Andy holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers University, an MS.Ed in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Ed.D in Organizational Leadership Studies from Northeastern University.
Carmin Chan
Vice Provost
Northern Arizona University Online
Dr. Carmin Chan serves as the vice provost of NAU Online at Northern Arizona University. In this role, Dr. Chan leads the NAU Online team as well as collaborating closely with faculty, staff, and leaders across the institution to offer Arizona’s learners’ access to online programs that are rooted in equitable postsecondary value, courses with excellent learning and instructional design, and robust student success supports. Throughout her career, Dr. Chan has been a staunch advocate for increasing access and promoting modernization and institutional changes necessary to make higher education more inclusive of the needs of post-traditional student populations. Dr. Chan serves as a subject matter expert for online education initiatives including serving as the 2023-24 chair of the Online Administration (OA) Network within UPCEA, an invited guest speaker on several higher education-focused podcasts, and a frequent presenter with professional organizations including the UPCEA, OLC, NACADA, and NABCA. Dr. Chan earned her Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Arizona where her research focuses on the funds of knowledge brought by military-connected students and the impact that these populations have on increasing college access.
Stacy Chiaramonte
Director, Center for Research and Strategy & Chief Research Officer
UPCEA
Stacy Chiaramonte is Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operations for UPCEA Research and Consulting. Stacy has more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning, coaching and leadership, and operations in both mission-driven companies and higher education. Prior to joining UPCEA, Stacy was the Associate Vice President for WPI’s Graduate & Professional Studies, where she was responsible for strategy development and implementation of student-centric education programs, including programs for post-traditional students online and onsite at corporate locations.
Nancy Coleman
Dean, Harvard Extension School and Continuing Studies
Harvard University
Nancy Coleman, Ed.D., is Dean, Harvard Extension School and Continuing Studies at Harvard University. Previously, Coleman served as Associate Provost and Founding Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives at Wellesley College, where she oversaw the work of Wellesley Extended, encompassing summer, online learning, and professional education. Her career has spanned higher education, corporate and start-up ventures. Prior to Wellesley, Coleman was VP of Academic Services at Keypath, an OPM provider, overseeing instructional design and student services for all global locations; and Director of Distance Education at Boston University leading a business unit overseeing online degrees and certificates across the university. She holds a doctorate from George Washington University, an M.B.A. from Boston University, and a B.S. in Marketing from Stonehill College.
Amy Heitzman
Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Learning Officer
UPCEA
Amy Heitzman, Ph.D., is Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Learning Officer at UPCEA. As Deputy, Amy manages the delivery of organizational and departmental strategic planning and production. Amy oversees budget development, content delivery, and member engagement for the association’s growing program portfolio and convenes the staff on numerous initiatives for cross-divisional collaboration. She guides UPCEA’s international partnerships and external relations strategies, and stewards UPCEA’s grant and foundation relationships. In her ongoing work as Chief Learning Officer, Amy leads the association’s strategy and deployment for member professional development, which includes continued support for the association’s two certificate programs and course constellation, its multiple volunteer leadership structures, several board-designated committees, is the Managing Director for the Council for Credential Innovation, and is Ex Officio on the Council for Chief Online Leadership Officers.
Angie Kamath
Dean
NYU School of Professional Studies
Angie Kamath is Dean at NYU School of Professional Studies. Kamath has had a distinguished career in government and higher education. Amplified by her deep expertise in partnering with industries on skills-based education and workforce development, Kamath is a champion for fostering equal opportunities through higher education and workforce programs that provide immediately applicable skills in hospitality, real estate, and functional business leadership, among other growing and emerging fields. Kamath is an expert on workforce development and skills-based training, providing foresight with grounded research expertise in the future of work. Passionate about developing programs with industry leaders, she has created partnerships with national and local organizations to advance access to education. While in her role as dean at the nation’s largest urban public university, City University of New York (CUNY), Kamath was responsible for continuing education and workforce development programs. In addition, she oversaw grant-funded opportunities that sought to improve the skills, career prospects, and outcomes of targeted industries such as IT, finance, healthcare, and municipal government. Kamath also led several workforce development and training programs that addressed the future of work in New York City and beyond. Before her role at CUNY, Kamath served as an executive vice president and executive director at Per Scholas, a national IT job training nonprofit in South Bronx. There, she was responsible for launching the social enterprise team, which was tasked with generating fee-for-service revenues. In addition, she oversaw the New York training operation that trained and placed over 500 individuals each year in middle-skills jobs in the IT field. Prior to Per Scholars, Kamath worked as deputy commissioner at the NYC Department of Small Business Services for seven years, overseeing adult workforce programs that served more than 100,000 New Yorkers each year during the Bloomberg administration. Kamath holds a BS in Business Management from Cornell University and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Gary Matkin
Dean Emeritus, Division of Continuing Education and Vice Provost, Division of Career Pathways
University of California, Irvine
Gary Matkin, Ph.D., is Dean Emeritus, Division of Continuing Education and Vice Provost, Division of Career Pathways at the University of California, Irvine. Matkin directs the activities of the Division of Continuing Education that, with a self-supporting annual budget of $40 million, offers over 3,100 continuing education courses per year, serving approximately 40,000 students. As Vice Provost, Matkin is responsible for coordinating career services across the UCI campus, including the direct supervision of the Division of Career Pathways, whose services are available to over 35,000 UCI undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to alumni and local employers. Previously, Matkin served as Associate Dean for Continuing Education at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a doctorate in Education and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. from the University of San Francisco, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Richard Novak
Vice President, Continuing Studies & Distance Education
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey
Richard Novak, Ed.D., is Vice President, Continuing Studies & Distance Education at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Novak has been with the Division of Continuing Studies (formerly the Division of Continuous Education and Outreach) since its inception in July 1996 and has served as Vice President since 2013, and has been engaged with online learning at Rutgers since 1997. Novak provides executive leadership for a large and diverse University-wide division that coordinates hundreds of credit and non-credit programs, enrolling thousands of participants, reaching audiences from pre-school youth to retirees, on and off campus and online, and provides various support services to faculty, staff and students across the University. He holds a doctorate in Adult and Continuing Education and a B.A. cum laude in History from Rutgers University, as well as an M.A. in Christian Education from the Princeton Theological Seminary and an M.A. in Eastern Christian Studies from Maryknoll School of Theology.
Kelly Otter
Dean of the School of Continuing Studies
Georgetown University
Kelly Otter is Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS). In this role, she oversees the development and delivery of graduate professional programs; liberal studies programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels; professional certificate programs and custom education; and summer and special programs. She leads a team of strategic leaders whose disciplines include academic and faculty affairs, program and curriculum development, assessment and compliance, enrollment management, marketing, digital strategy, operations, and finance and administration. The School comprises approximately 180 staff and faculty, enrolls 3000 degree-seeking students and 7000 non-degree-seeking students. Dr. Otter leads the school’s partnership and program development initiatives internationally, primarily in the Middle East, Latin America, India and Southeast Asia. Dr. Otter’s professional portfolio comprises organization design, curriculum development, the design and management of technology-mediated education infrastructures and programs, international education and partnerships, adult and workforce education, and veterans support services. Before coming to Georgetown in 2014, she served in academic dean roles at Northeastern University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the College of New Rochelle, and previously held positions in academic administration at New York University. She also taught at each of these institutions in the fields of media studies and interdisciplinary research. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University in Arts & Humanities Education, an MA from Wayne State University, and her BA from the University of Michigan.
Stephanie Platteter
Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management
University of Minnesota College of Continuing & Professional Studies
Stephanie Platteter is the Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management for the College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS) at the University of Minnesota. As CCAPS marketing and enrollment leader since 2001, Stephanie is responsible for driving awareness, interest, and new enrollments in CCAPS programs. In addition to her role in CCAPS, she also provides leadership and expertise for the University’s central online learning office. Stephanie holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Julie Uranis
Senior Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives
UPCEA
Julie Uranis, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives at UPCEA. Uranis manages the National Council for Online Education and leads the planning efforts for the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration and the Online Leadership Roundtable. Uranis spearheaded the development of UPCEA’s web-based professional development opportunities. Prior to joining UPCEA as a staff member, Uranis led two distinct units at Western Kentucky University. Uranis has a doctorate in Educational Leadership, a Master of Science in Technology Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Community College Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.